Its not his position, its the line he's on for todays game. Being on a 4th line and getting lots of defensive responsibility is fine, theyll create some chances for him but if thats where he would actually slot in then Id much rather see him in Cleveland. There are still a few changes that likely happen even with this version of the lineup but wherever Sillinger is I hope its in a position to gain some offensive confidence. With Jenner and Texier being a pair today Id say Bemstrom/Sillinger/Roslovic are probably fighting for the last spot on a line like that. So far Bemstrom is probably in the lead and I hope they just send Sillinger down for a bit.
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How much more skilled than Jenner do you think Sillinger is? I think he might have more innate skill but I'd contend that he has far less than Jenner in terms of the skill he currently knows how to use. I mean Jenner can connect on a pass and hit the net from more than thirty feet, these are things Sillinger is struggling with.
AHL is best for sure, but I'm curious how he'll look playing on the 4th line. It might be better for his confidence than playing on a skilled line (you might recall how it worked for Texier). Sillinger has added straight ahead skating speed so let's see how he keeps up. And I do think Sillinger should be good at wacking loose pucks in, and that line is great at getting pucks loose at the netfront.
i wasn't saying it as a comparison to jenner, i was saying that jenner has largely thrived when playing with two guys who have that skillful element to their game i.e. nyquist, laine, gaudreau.
sillinger and roslovic are a step down from those names, but my point is that those guys could play a more skill-focused game if they had jenner to do some of the dirty work on their line, which in turn compliments jenner's direct, north-south game.
in other words: if laine/fantilli are going to both have their own lines, i'd rather have jenner on what could be a complimentary scoring line than on a grind-it-out line. let the fourth line handle that.
I think it will be good for overall confidence but Id rather him build offensive confidence and make plays. I honestly dont know if he'll get that on any line in the NHL. I know he's a good shooter and has the ability to finish with that shot but Id like to see if he can build more puck skills and willingness to make plays.
Maybe he becomes another Jenner that is more of an oppurtunistic finisher that makes the occasional nice play/move but I feel like there is more to unlock if they take the time to bring it out
Yeah Jenner is definitely more valuable with skilled players. I'm not sure Sillinger is currently that though.
Extremely disappointed Chinakhov couldn’t play. People seriously starting to undervalue him, I am pretty sure he is one of our top young players still, likely with best shot
Who is undervaluing him? Hes not available so noone is pencilling him in. When he does come back after missing camp he'll have to earn his way back up in a group that is actually starting to show something.
I’m starting to see some people giving up on him, but I think it’s mostly because he missed so much due to injuries
No Thomson for Buffalo but looks like most of the regulars including a real defense this time. Hopefully a fun game.
he's definitely capable of being that type of player. would have a lot more opportunities to showcase that skill playing with roslovic (gifted puck carrier) and jenner (productive, direct veteran) than he did last year playing with a hodgepodge of guys like carson meyer and liam foudy.
What about when he played with Johnson/Marchenko? Or Nyquist/Chinakhov? He had some decent looks last year and the play just wasnt there
He tore up the pre season last year and then scored 4 goals in 30 or so games. He's young, shit happens, but I'm not paying much attention to his pre season even if he is on fire.
i thought he had some nice stretches with johnson and marchenko. but that was also a line where two guys were rookies and the other was 19, so it's going to have cold stretches, too.
hence why i said it's better for him to be playing with two productive veterans. two years ago he was at his best when he played with bjorkstrand, domi or voracek. a line with jenner and roslovic would give him similar support.
The other interpretation (the correct one in my view) is that he needed better players to carry him, because he's basically an AHL caliber player at this early point in his career.
Chinakhov should also be in Cleveland for some time. He almost reminds me of a young Bjorkstrand, a player who didnt become a full time player until he was Chinakhov's age now. They both have rockets for shots but neither are the best at creating tons of chances to use it. Difference being Bjorkstrand was forced to develop properly and used that time to round out many area's of his game. Even if he's not scoring he's extremely effective, Chinakhov was improving in that area but with all the time hes missed being in Cleveland and getting tons of minutes will do him wonders. Put him in all kinds of roles too
CBJWerenski8
Rest in Peace Johnny
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When you’re not available, you write your own obituary. Tarasov deserves the same treatment.
hence why i'm saying that putting him with jenner and roslovic would set him up for success this year in the NHL.
if i had to rank potential situations for sillinger according to my own preferences, it would be:
1. NHL middle six minutes w/two veterans + pp2 and pk time
2. AHL top line minutes
3. NHL bottom six w/fringe guys (i.e. chinakhov/bemstrom)
4. NHL fourth line w/checking players (i.e. today's line)
i can see why people would be inclined to flip #1 and #2 on their lists, though. my personal view is that he'd benefit more from playing with NHL veterans than he would from lighting up the AHL.
Farmboy Patty
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this was the case the last few years when he was pigeonholed into a top line role (and fared better than expected). this year, though, if the top two lines (at least offensively) are the laine and fantilli lines… that would make jenner a premium third liner.
if jenner is on a third line, the expectation is that he can carry that line, not that he would need 'help' – and jenner being on a third line is actually the ideal scenario for bringing a young guy into the NHL.
ClevelandJacketFan
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While I agree with this, when has Sillinger actually earned 3rd line minutes?
I think we need to normalize being okay writing off Sillinger at this point. He's not a make or break to this team right now, and I don't see a need to force him into a role on the team.
CBJWerenski8
Rest in Peace Johnny
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I’m not going to normalize writing off a 20/21 year old. He was rushed. He shouldn’t have been here as an 18 year old. That doesn’t mean he’s a bust. He can still turn this around with a strong start in Cleveland, and be right back up here later.
ClevelandJacketFan
Awesome Mascots!
Probably bad phrasing, but I don't think him spending a whole year in Cleveland is a bad thing. No reason to force him into the lineup when the team would struggle for it. Feels like that is what we are talking about right now.
Farmboy Patty
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This reminds me of the case with Kyle Connor on the Jets (big fan right here) where he was sent back for a short stint to do some homework, and when he came back he got it all together. Farmboy was the nickname that he got on the Jets forums, and that kinda stucked with me
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